Annunciator system for hospitals



Oct. 27, 1959 G. H. MCLAIN 2,910,680

ANNUNCIATOR SYSTEM FOR HOSPITALS Filed Feb. 27, 1956 l INVENTOR,

46 6501965 fi. fi lfl/A United States Patent ANNUNCIATOR SYSTEM FOR HOSPITALS George H. McLain, Peoria, Ill. Application February 27, 1956, Serial No. 567,761

1 Claim. (11. 340-311 This invention relates generally to annunciator systems and more particularly it relates to an annunciator system for hospitals.

A hospital annunciator system is disclosed in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,736,888, granted February 28, 1956, and comprises an annunciator board adapted to be located at a nurses station and consisting of an individual indicator for each patient under the supervision of a particular nurse. Each indicator comprises a voltage responsive device such, for example, as a meter operable into different positions for indicating different wants of the patient. The meter is operated by a voltage divider and individual switches connected thereto, whereby operation of any individual switch causes operation of the meter to indicate a particular want of the patient.

While the system disclosed in my patent operates very satisfactorily to carry out its objectives, it is found that the cost of the various components of the system is some what excessive. Accordingly, the principal object of this invention is to provide a more economical annunciator system for indicating the various wants of a hospital patient.

Another object of this invention is to provide an annunciator system for hospitals which is adapted to indicate the various wants of a patient and which is also adapted to cooperate with the presently existing attention lamps normally provided over the door of each hospital room.

In accordance with this invention, there is provided an annunciator system for hospitals which comprises a plurality of banks of indicators, each bank being individual to a particular patient and having indicators for showing different wants of said patient, a group of push button switches adapted to be located at the patients bedside and coupled to his particular bank of indicators, whereby he may selectively indicate a particular want, a relay means operatively associated with said switches for actuating the presently existing room lamp in response to ac tuation of any one of his push button switches.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claim:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating schematically the annunciator and a single group of switches adapted to actuate a single bank of annunciators as provided in accordance with this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the electrical connections between the annunciator and the switches shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the invention comprises an annunciator system having a plurality of banks of indicators which may be mounted in a frame 11 and located conveniently at the floor nurses station in a hospital. Each bank 10 of indicators comprises a vertical array of lamps 12 having associated therewith reflectors 14. In front of each lamp 12 may be mounted a suitable translucent panel 15 bearing a legend such, for example, as water, thereby to indicate a particular want of the patient. Each translucent panel 15 may bear a legend indicating a difierent want and in this manner the supervising nurse is not required to go to the patient in order to ascertain that patients want whenhe operates a calling indicator.

Each bank 10 of indicators may be connected through a multi-conductor cable 17 to a multi-terminal Wall outlet 18 in an individual patients room. A multiple push button switching set 20 may be located at the patients bedside within his reach and connected to a multi-terminal plug 21 by means of a multi-condnctor cable 22. The conductors of cable 22 may be suitably connected, as will be subsequently described, to individual triple contact switches 24. The switches 24 include a slidable push button member 25 having associated therewith labels such as 26, each of which may bear a legend indicative of a particular want. Accordingly, the patient may selectively operate the push buttons 25 to illuminate one of the lamps 12 for indicating a particular want.

The switching device 20 is constructed in accordance with conventional practice and, hence, the exact details thereof need not be described. However, it. may be noted that one button such as 27 may be a reset button adapted to operate a shaft 28 having retaining detents 29 which normally hold a button 25 in a switch-closing position. Button 27 is operatively associated with shaft 28 to effect release of all operated buttons.

In order to provide calling facilities for a patient who is unable to operate the push buttons 25, an additional switch 30 is provided with an extension cord 31 so that the patient may operate one of the lamps 12 by having the switch 30 under his pillow or at his side.

Referring to Fig. 2, the lamps 12 may be connected in multiple through conductor 32 to one side of the secondary winding of a step-down transformer 33. The primary winding of transformer 33 may, in turn, be connected through a wall plug 34 or other suitable means to a commercial power source. Each of the lamps 12 may also be connected by means of individual conductors such, for example, as 35 and 36 forming a part of a multiple conductor cable 37 to cooperating individual push button switches 38. Each push button switch 38 includes three contacts which may simultaneously close. For example, contact 39 may be connected to conductor 35, while contact 40 may be connected through conductor 41 to a relay 42. Contact 43 may be connected to a common return conductor 44 which extends through the cable 37 to the other side of the secondary winding of transformer 33. In order to provide a means of deenergizing an entire bank of indicators, switch 46 may be connected in conductor 44, thereby to completely disconnect all of the push button switches 38.

Relay 42 may be connected between each of the conductors 41 and the common return conductor 44, whereby relay 42 is energized whenever any one of the switches 38 is closed.

The relay 42 is utilized for energizing automatically the lamps 48 and 49. For example, the lamp 48 may be utilized to draw the attention of the nurse to a bank of indicators wherein one indicator has been energized. Lamp 49 may be the presently existing attention lamp which is normally located over the door to the patients room or adjacent thereto. Lamps 48 and 49 may be suitably connected by means of conductors 50 to the commercial power source as illustrated by means of the plug 51. The contacts 52 of relay 42 may be connected in the conductors 50 so that lamps 48 and 49 are automatically energized in response to energization of relay 42.

In operation, it may be assumed that a hospital patient desires water or some other thing peculiar to a hospital patient in which case the patient may operate one of the push buttons 25 which is indicated by a label 26 as representing his particularwant. This closes one of the triple contact switches 38, energizing one of the lamps 12 through one of the conductors, such as 35 and return conductor 44. Simultaneously, the relay 42 is energized to close contacts 52, thereby to illuminate the lamps 48 and 49'.

In this manner the nurses attention is directed to the annunciator by means of the lamp 48 if she is sitting at her desk or by means of lamp 49 if she happens to he in the hallway within sight of such lamp. The nurse then notes the particular want of the patient by observing the illuminated panel 15 and may then proceed to the patients room with whatever he may need.

When the nurse attends to the patient she may reset the push button 25 by pushing the reset button 27. When the button 25 is released, the circuits to the annunciator and the lamps 48 and 49 are opened, thereby to re-establish the idle condition of the annunciator.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that this invention provides a simple and economical annunciator system for hospitals. There is no particular limit to the number of Wants which may be indicated by the banks of indicators since it is a relatively simple matter to add or subtract lamps and their associated conductors. Also, there is no particular limit to the number of banks of the indicators which may be used since the circuits of each bank are independent of the circuits of the other 4 banks. Thus, the system may be designed to provide facilities for any desired number of rooms or any desired number of patients in a ward, for example.

The invention claimed is:

An annunciator system for hospitals comprising a source of potential, a plurality of banks of indicators, each of said banks including an array of lamp indicators showing a variety of wants for a single patient, a common connection from one side of said indicators within a bank to said source of potential, a group of individual triple contact switches, each switch being operable to close all three contacts simultaneously, each switch including a pair of contacts connected in serieswith said source and the other side of an indicator for selectively energizing each indicator, a room lamp circuit, and a relay individual to said group of individual switches and connected in series with said source and a third con tact of each of said switches, said relay including normally open contacts in said lamp circuit operable to close said lamp circuit whenever one of said switches is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bobrotf Mar. 25, 19310 mama-ova. 

